Excavating device.



W. '0. WEEKS.

EXGAVAIING DEVICE.

AFPLIOATION FILED FEB. 19, 1913.

'1 l 1 0,604. Pa p 15, 1914..

I V'z'tn asses. .Zhventorj T/Vz'llz'am 6. Weeks.

Aita nqy.

rm: NORRIS PETERS C0,. PHOTO-LITHQ. wsnmic'rmv. DIE

WILLIAM 0. WEEKS, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

EXCAVATING DEVICE.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

Application filed February 1a, 1913. Serial No. 749,544.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM C. WEEKS, a citizen of the, United States,and resident of the city of Vancouver, Province of British Columbia,Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ExcavatingDevices, of'which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to excavating devices, particularly of that typewhich employs a drag bucket as the excavating and transporting member.

The object of my invention is to better adapt such devices to certainspecial uses and. to improvethe same generally.

My invention comprises the novel parts and combinations-of parts whichare hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention in the form whichis now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is an elevation showing a side view of an apparatus made inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail showing, in sideelevation, the carriage and its mechanism whereby it may be locked tothe trackway and whereby the drag bucket may be locked to and releasedtherefrom.

The apparatus which is the subject of my invention has been moreparticularly designed for dredging from a scowor float, but it isevident that it may be used for other purposes and under otherconditions; particularly may it be used to advantage to excavatefrombeneath a platform which is supported in an elevated position.

The platform upon which the operatingmachinery is supported is, asillustrated, a scow, 1. This float has spars or frames extendingoutboard, or beyond its ends, at opposite ends, these serving assupports for the guides through which the main-haulline and theback-haul lines pass. At one end, the spar or frame 61, supports thepulley 62, outward from the end of the float, said pulley serving as aguide for the back-haul rope 6. This back-haul line extends to and isoperated by a drum 60, upon the float. At the other end of the float, aspar or frame 8, extends outward and serves as the support for the lowerend of an inclinedtrackway, represented by the beam 2. The upper end ofthis trackway is supported over this end of the float, as by a mast orframe work represented by the post 10. The inclined trackway 2, shouldpreferably extend from a point near the water level upwardly andinwardly over the end of the float, so that the excavating bucket maytravel up thereon, into position whereit may be dumped into a hopper,chute, o1- other receptacle, herein represented by the hopper 1.7. The

location of the trackway should be such that the bucket will clear theend of the float and the hopper 7. The bucket 4 may be of any typewhichmay be found suitable forworking with the rest of the apparatus.The bucket herein shown is of an old type. The haul-back line 6 isconnected thereto and extends beneath the float. It is therefore capableof drawing the bucket back beneath.

the float, so that its loading travel may be substantially the length ofthe float, or the distance between the line guides at each end of thefloat. The trackway 'beam 2, has, running thereon, a carriage 3, whichhas thereon a guide wheel 30,,about-which passes the main-haul line 5,to a connection with catch dog 33, to disengage it from the pin 31 whenlever 32 is raised, thus freeing the carriage so that it may travelupthe trackway. The carriage also has an arm or finger 34, dependingtherefrom and having its vlower end 37, curved and serving as a guidefor the bail of the'bucket, when it is hoisted thereto. The lowerportionof this arm 34, has a catch dog, or. lever 35, pivoted theretoand held against dropping down by a stop 36 upon the arm extends from anengine drum 50, over a guide pulley 51 at the upper end of the inclinedtrackway and then about the pulley 30 upon the carriage. a In operatingthis bucket will be presumed as resting upon and supported by the catchdog 35, being held thereby against sinking away from the cai riage. Ifthe main-haul line be permitted to run out, the carriage will descendthe in 34. The main-haul line 5, 7

device,;the bail. of the r pulled in, drawing the bucket forward andfilling it. The carriage, during this time, is locked to-the lower endof the inclined trackway. l/Vhen the bucket is raised, the bail contactswith the catch 35, raising it i if out of the way, but permitting thiscatch to drop down into holdingposition as soon as the bail has passed.The further progress of: the bucket bail, will engage the releasing clever 32 and free the carriage from the dog Y 33, whereupon, the pullupon the line 5 will start the carriage up theinclined trackway. Thispermits the bucket to drop, but, as the catch isbeneath the bail,thebucket is held by this catch and rises with the carriage. When thebucket gets-over the hop- *per 7, or whatever other receiving member isused, the bucket is dumped and then the .;carriage and the bucketsuspended therefrom, runs down the inclined trackway until engaged bythe catch 33. By extending the spars or fra-mes,'8 and 61, outward aconsiderable distance, it is possible tofdredge .over a distance muchgreater than thelength- 'ofith'e float. It is evident that the deviceherein describedfmay be used on dry vland' byprovidin'gme'ans forsupporting the plat- 1form which 7 carries the machineryfabove 7 thematerial to be I excavated;

. VVhat lic'laim as my inventioni's;

1'.An excavating device comprising an elevated machinery-supportingplatform, a drag bucket, a main-haul lineattached to the bucket, aback-haul line also attached to the bucket, a guide for the back-haulline located at one end of the platform to lead the back-haul linebeneath the platform, a guide forthe main-haul line located beyond V theother end of the platform, and means for movingsaid latter guide upwardand I inward over-that end of theplatform'.

I 2. An excavating device comprising a float' having a projectingguide-supporting member-at each'end, a drag bucket, a main-haul linesecured to'the bucket, a back-haul line also-secured to the bucket, aguide for the back-haul line carried by said projecting member at oneend of the float, a guide for the main-haul line and means for support-'ing the said guide from said projecting member at the other end of theplatform, to move" said guide in an inclined path over the end of saidplatform.

3. An excavating device comprising float, a drag bucket, a main-haulline, a back-haul line, guides for said lines supported from and beyondopposite ends of the float and adjacent the water line'and inward topoint means for shifting the guide for the] maintrackway, and a guidefor the main-haul line supported upon said carriage.

5. An excavating device comprising a r float, a drag bucket, amain-haulline, a back-haul line, means for conducting the back-haul linebeneath one end of the float, an inclined trackway having its lower'fendbeyond thevother end of the float and its upper end above thefloat, afixed guide for v the main-haulline. at the upper end of the trackway, acarriage movable along the trackWay and carrying a guide for themainhaul line, and means for locking thecar riage to thelower end of the,trackway when desired; 7 .c i

6. An excavating device comprising a float, a drag bucket, amain-haulfline, a back-haul line,..means for conducting the back-haulline beneath one end of the float,

an inclined trackway having its upper end overone end of the float. andits lower end beyond that 'end'ofthe float, a guide for the main-haulline at the upper end of' the trackway, Ia carriage running upon thetrackway, a guide for the main-haul line 7 carried upon thecarr1age,m'eans controlled 7 by the bucket under the action {of themainhaul line for locking the" carriage at the lower end of the trackwayand for releasing s the carriage. 1

7. An excavating .devicecomprisin'g; a 5

float, a drag kbucket, a main-haul line, a

back-haul line, means for conducting the back-haul line beneath one endof the float,

a guide for the main-haul line and meansfor moving said guide for themain-haul linein a pathextending from a point outboard of the other endof the float to a point over the same endof, the float. V

In testimony whereof I have hereuntoaffixed my signature,l at Vancouver,British Columbia,this 12 day of February, 1913.- I 1 WILLIAM 0. -WEEKS.f Witnesses:-. is V 7 J. S. ARMSTRONG, Jr.,-j.

-. G, O. Wooowanm we et n i 1 Copies jot this patentmay be obtained forfive centsveach, addressing the f Commissioner of Patents, 7

